Startup Story
For those who need specialist cleaning services in their homes and offices, help is at hand from entrepreneur Mbalenhle Ndaba, founder of HomeMinder4U in South Africa. Improving lives through cleaning is her passion and prompted her to launch her business offering a wide range of cleaning services in 2019 in Johannesburg.
LoA spoke to the enterprising Mbalenhle Ndaba about her vision for her business and what drives her to keep growing and thriving.
What does your company do?
Cleaning services, residential and commercial cleaning.
“The biggest inspiration for me to start my company was wanting to offer solutions to people I came across.”
What inspired you to start your company?
The freedom. The sense of purpose. The giving back. The extra income.
The biggest inspiration for me to start my company was wanting to offer solutions to people I came across. I talked to friends, neighbours, colleagues, even walk-in customers, while I was still working at a retail shop as a customer service consultant in the fitting rooms. I then moved to Risk Management, but I realized I didn't like the idea of someone dictating my day. After the culmination of my contract I realized all I had to do was to establish the business I had in mind when I was young. I studied the gap in the cleaning industry, and when posing questions to many people the answers were the same: people these days are too busy, too tired, and too stressed out to clean their own homes... and they'll happily pay someone else to do it for them.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Passion.
Reliability.
Flexibility.
We stand by the promises we make with our services. At HomeMinder4U our business branding is simply unique and captivating - the moment you see it you know we are ‘cleanerprenuers’ at heart. We have our own unique funny t-shirts that we wear when walking around to attract potential clients.
“We stand by the promises we make with our services. At HomeMinder4U our business branding is simply unique and captivating - the moment you see it you know we are ‘cleanerprenuers’ at heart.”
Tell us a little about your team
We are currently micro-brewers rather than us having a team, but we are looking forward to recruiting like-minded people in future who possess a similar passion as myself, Mbali, the founder of HomeMinder4U.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I believe I come from an entrepreneurial background but in a different manner in the way that many view entrepreneurship these days. At my home where I grew up with my mom, they used to sell things from chickens, ice blocks and clothes. My mom then proceeded with selling sweets and ice to children around my area where I grew up in Madadeni, Newcastle. She is still at it and she’s loving it.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plans are to employ dozens of amazing staff and cleaners, and service hundreds of incredible customers throughout the Johannesburg area. Getting into retail is part of my future plan. As the founder of HomeMinder4U, I plan to not solely focus on cleaning but offer training to the naive and have cleaning materials that are established at HomeMinder4U, such as cleaning cloths (Micro Fibres), unique mops and waffle towels.
“I feel confident knowing that people everywhere always want a clean, sparkling home and I am one who can offer that.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Knowing that no matter where I move to or decide to live, I can still carry my cleaning skill with me and start my business as it doesn't demand much but just my instinct, passion and skill. I feel confident knowing that people everywhere always want a clean, sparkling home and I am one who can offer that. The economy is very shaky these days but pressing hard with establishing my brand and not wanting to give up on it, even if I didn't get clients for months. The factual statement remains : No matter what the economy is doing, people will always need high- quality cleaning services.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
You don't need to know everything before you start your desired business... just enough to move forward today.
I call it "the tiny steps" approach: Take one step, and see the result. Then take the next step. Then the next step. Pretty soon, those steps add up and turn into real momentum... and the "big questions" don't seem so overwhelming after all.
Contact or follow HomeMinder4U
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL homeminder4u@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
Finding your gap in the market and taking the opportunity to fill that gap with a business solution that is uniquely your own is always a rewarding process. For Mbalenhle, that gap was in providing people with a solution to an essential service such as cleaning, and then becoming a reliable, trusted service provider. She has real passion for what she does, and a big vision to build on what she has started, creating opportunities for others along the way. Definitely a business to watch as it grows over the coming years. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa